The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's swimming & diving teams combined to post 15 season-best times as both teams finished fourth overall at the Midwest Invitational Saturday.
Milwaukee, competing with only a portion of its roster, scored 195 points on the women's side and 216 points on the men's side, both good for fourth overall. Emory University won both competitions.
Max Ward started the winning ways for the Panthers, taking the top spot in the 100 butterfly with a time of 50.24.
In the women's mile, Kelly Theis grabbed the gold medal with a winning time of 17:55.39. Abby Duke was right behind, taking second with a season-best time of 17:56.83.
Theis also led the way for Milwaukee in the 500 freestyle. The junior finished runner-up with a season-best time of 5:11.46. Sarah Grieve was third at 5:15.28 and Duke was fourth at 5:19.06.
In the men's 50 free, freshman Noah Dalluge came in second overall with a season-best time of 21.59, the fourth-fastest time by a Panther swimmer this season. Ward (21.80), Mic Boggio (21.94) and Collin Heitfeld (22.38) all also posted season-best times in the event.
Grieve touched the wall second overall in the 200 free with a time of 1:59.44.
Emily Dean posted a pair of runner-up finishes at the meet. In the women's 100 backstroke, the sophomore just missed the win, posting a time of 59.11. Then, in the 200 back, Dean had a season-best time of 2:06.78 for second.
Milwaukee now turns its attention to the Horizon League Championships next week. The four-day meet starts Wednesday evening in Cleveland, Ohio and is scheduled to wrap up Saturday night.
Washington U./St. Louis
Five B-cuts and four first-place finishes highlighted the Midwest Invitational for the Washington University in St. Louis men’s and women’s swimming teams Friday-Saturday in Chicago.
The Washington U. women scored 287 team points to finish third behind Emory University (356) and the University of Chicago (300). Emory also won the men’s team title, scoring 459.5 points to finish ahead of Case Western Reserve University (443.5) and Chicago (380). The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (216) placed fourth, while Washington U. was fifth (162) in the men’s standings.
Freshman Andrew Ellison improved his season-best time in the 1,650 freestyle to finish first in a B-cut time of 15:48.96. Freshman Paul Huang also finished first for the Washington U. men, winning the 500 free in a season-best time of 4:44.06. He added a third-place finish in the 100 free in 48.31.
Senior Chi Pham clocked a season-best and B-cut time of 2:05.42 to win the women’s 200 individual medley. Sophomore Katie Anderson was the final event winner for the Bears, taking first in the 100 backstroke in 58.83. Sophomore Toireasa Rafferty-Millett had a B-cut time of 2:07.24 to place second in the 200 butterfly, and added a season-best time of 4:37.76 to finish third in the 400 IM. Freshman Lauren Carlos finished second in the 100 butterfly (57.89), and bettered that time in a time trial for the event with a B-cut time of 57.68.
Freshman Matt Liu finished third in the 200 breaststroke for the WUSTL men in a time of 2:07.05, before clocking a season-best and B-cut time of 2:06.54 in a time trial. Liu also had a season-best in his runner-up finish in the 100 breaststroke (58.02). Sophomore Luke Duschl finished second in both the 100 (58.02) and 200 (1:55.85) backstrokes, with season-bests in both.
The women’s 200-freestyle relay team of senior Claire Guo, freshmen Jackie Marlin and Lindsey Guth, and sophomore Sophie Segreti finished second with a time of 1:43.54. Senior Kara Gordon added a season-best in a 100 breaststroke time trial, clocking a time of 1:09.50.
The Midwest Invitational marked the final chance to post qualifying times for the 2014 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, which will be held March 19-22 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind. A press release with the unofficial competitor selections for the NCAA Championships will be posted on ncaa.com Wednesday, Feb. 26, with the official press release scheduled for Monday, March 3.
